Adjustable tourniquet



Patented Apr. 13, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ADJUSTABLE TOURNIQUETAlbert Eschner Santa Monica, Calif. Application May 20, 1942, Serjal N0.443,755

This invention relates to an adjustable tourniquet fl arrestingbleecling and ci reulatioh, and carries forward the purposes and objectsof the tourniquet described and claimed in my co-pendingapplication,Ser. N0. 433,184;; filed March 3, 1942.

Among the objects of-the present inventiun are:

T0 provide a tourniquet that may belnore quickly applied to and rem-0vedfrom an injurecl limb and which may also be more quicklyjafter beingapplied, adjusted. to and from a momentarily relaxed condition to'preventaninjurious stasis of the circulation throughout the injureclpart; 130 dispense With the necessity of using a separate part o1additional extensioh to function as a pressure pad; to provide for aquicker and more ccnvenient adjustrnent of the device fer properlyfitting around limbs differing greatly in size; to provide a moreoompact; structure no part of which will protrude in an objectionablemanner from a limb to which the devlce 1's applied; to provide animproved combination of Cooperating gripping elements; and t-o simplifyconstruction ancl further reduce the cost ofmanufacture of devices ofthe Kind to which the invention pertains.

A further and more specific object of the invention is to provide animproved cembination of an elastic band to encir'cle the injured limb,with a swingable lever which sexVes both 130 tighten said band a.nd toapplyan eflicient radially direted pressure to the tissue overlylng t-hebleeding bl-ood vessel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device particularly welladapted for quick application to a snakebitten limb to prevent theinjected poison Irom passing into I;he general circulation.

Qther objects, advantages and features qf in vntion will hereinafterappear.

Referring to the a0companying drawing, which illustrates what is atpresent deemed to be a preferred embodiment of the invention:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the device showing lt; in the extendedcondition, portions of the flexible connection being broken out in ordert-o contract; the length of the view; Also or'1e of the clips is partlysectioned.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device illustrat ing the positionthereof after the first; step in applying it to a limb has been taken,the limb being shown in cross section.

Fig. 3 illustrates the same structures as Fig. 2 and difiers therefromonly in that the device is shown in the ful1y applied condition.

- the hook portion I9 of the clip I I.

'side of the laberall'y deflected hook portion I9 of the elongatedcompressor member IT i di- Referring in detail I;o the drawing, theflexible connection 0r band III for encircling one or more tirnes theinjured lirnb II should possess con siderable elasticity in -order Imhold more firmly in place the part of the tourniquet which appliespregsure to the injured blood vessel. Said band h-as a folded over endportion I2 which is passed through the slotted basal portion I3 of arectan- 'gular sheet metal Clip l4 the two runs 0f this folde d overpart of the connection being shown vulcanized together in a flatwisemanner,- but they may be secured to eat:h other by a grummet or in someother conventional manner. Said clip I4, a1; its free end, is contractedin a sy1hmetrical manner as to its width, I;hus forming an extension I5which terminates in a h0ok I6. This hook is designecl' I;o engage anelongated compresgor member or Clip I1 in the manner shown in Fig.

'3, whenthe device is in I:he fully applied condition.

' Said clip I'l has a body Portion I8 and end portions I9 and 20 both ofwhich a1e deflected toward the same face of the clip of which they forma part thereby giving said clip a longitudinally dished appearance.

The end portion I9 of the Clip I1 is formed of a hook shape, the hookhavir1g a terminal portion 2I ivvhich substantially parallels theopposite side portion 22 of the hook of which it; forma a part. Theseopposed, parallel, spaced apart; portions 2I- and 22 are respectivelyprovided with adjacent, spaced apart slots 23 and 24 that are parallelto each other and thus afford. means for feeding the strap I0 throughThe open rected toward the plane in which the body portion of saidcompressor member lies, and the adjacent slots 23 and 24 afford means ofswingab1y connectin-g said compressor member with the elastic strap II).

The end portion 20 of I3he compressor c1ip IT, which is opposite to itshook I9, is furm'shed with a spacious, rectangular opening 25 adjacenttoitsfree end, thus afiording an anchor bar 26 over which the hook IG ofthe c1ip I4 hqok when the compressor Clip I'I is in the applied p0sitionshown in Fig. 3.

In Figs. 2 and 3 a blood vessel 3I is shown located betweena bone 30 andIshatside of the limb to which the compressor platei I! is applied,sai-d blood Vessel being shown collapsed in Fig. 3 owing to the pressureof the applied device bo the overlying tissue.

pressure.

The slots 23 and 24 of the hooked-shaped part of the compressor memberform passages for the band II), are each sufiiciently long to preventthe edges of said band from binding against their ends, and are each ofa Width only slightly greater than the thickness of said band. Hencesaid clip can be slid freely along the band only when the body portionof the compressor Clip extends appmximately parallel to the adjacentpart of the band, as shown in Fig. 2.

In using the device t check hemorrhage, after the elastic band I0 hasbeen wound around the injured limb till portions of said band comeopposite to each other as shown in Fig. 2, the compressor member I'Ibeing at this time in its inoperative, unswung position and thereforefreely slidable along the band; said compressor member is then slidalong the band as may necessitate to position lt adjacent to the bloodvessel to be compressed, anal thereupon said compressor member is swungover and down to the applied position shown in Fig. 3 where itcompresses the blood vessel 3 I, whereupon the hook I6 is applied to theanchor bar 26 0f the compressor member, thereby tomaintain said memberin its operative position. The down swinging of said compressor memberforms a kink in the band shaped as a closed loop, as shown in Fig, 3,thus producing increased tension in the kinked and adjacent part of theband. If the band has been properly adjusted around the limb before thehook I6 is applled, the end portion of the band that carries the hookwill also necessarily be stretchecl in bringing the hook into engagementWith the bar 25 to which it is applied. 'I'Ihis double tensioning of theband adds t0 the eiliciency 0f the device when used as a tourniquet andis a particularly valuable asset when the device is used to ob structcirculation to prevent poison injected from the bite of a venemousanimal from entering the general circulation. In applying the compressormember in the manner which has been stated, said member is swung throughan angle of 180 degrees andafter the hook I6 has been applied thereto itproduces an efiicient, radially directed pressure directly over theblood vessel to be compressed, which pressure is rendered more eflleientby reason cf the dish-shapecl character of said member. Hewever, thefirm pressure of the metal clip f whieh said member consists will notirritate the umlerlying tissue, because at least a single run of theelastic band Will overlie that part 0f the tissue which is subjected tothe greatest amount cf The frictional engagement cf the applied Clip I'Iwith the part of the band I0 linderlying it, in conjunction with thegrip of the slotted part of said Clip 'upon the band at the same time,positively prevent displacement of said clip.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purposeof illustration on1y and that thiS invention includes all modificationsand equivalents Which fall Withln the scope of the subject matterclaimeol.

What is claimed is:

1. A tourniquet consisting of a flexible strap for passing around ableeding limb, an elongated compressor member having at each end alaterally deflected portion, saicl deflected portions being located atthe same side of said. compressor member and a body portion uniting saidend portions, there being a pair of adjacent para11e1 slots leadingthrough one of said end portions of said clip, said strap extendingthrough said slots and thereby swingably connecting seid member to it,the opposite end portion of said member having an anchoi portion toreceive a hook when said member is swung about its connection with saidstrap as an axis through an angle of 180 degrees from an inoperative toan operative position, and a hook attached to one of the end portions ofsaidstrap to cooperate with said anchor portion when said member 1's inits operative position.

2. The subject matter of claim 1 and, the glotted part of said memberconsisting of a hook the open sicle of which is directed toward theplane occupied by the body portion 0f said member.

3. A tourniquet comprising a flexible strap for passing around ableeding limb, a compressor member consisting of an elongated platedishshaped in the direction of itslength and having a laterallydeflected end portion which includes two runs in an adjacent parallelrelation to each other, each of said runs beim; slotted so that said.strap extends through them both, thereby swingably connecting saidmember With said strap, the opposite end portion of said Clip having ananchor portion toreceive a hook, and a hook attached to one cf the endportions'of said strap to cooperate With said anchor when saidcompressor member is in its operative position With the bottom face ofits dish-shaped portion in exterior contact With said strap when thelatter is applied to the limb of a human subject.

4. The subject matter of claim 3 anal, said compressor member, whenmoved toward its operative position to the limit of its swingingmovement, producing an outwardly directed tensioning loop in theaforesaid strap.

5. In a device of the Kind described an elastic strap to encir-cle alimb of a human subject, a hook carried by one end portion of saidstrap, a compressor member consisting of an elongated plate of rigidsheet material which has a presser portion and at each end of Saidpresser 'portion a laterally deflected portion, said deflected portionsbeing located at the same side of said 00mpressor member, one of saiddeflected portions including two adjacent spaced apart runs each ofwhich has through it a slot opposite to the slot of the other, saidelastic strap extending through both 0f said slots in a freely sliclablemanner when said compressor member is in its inoperative position, saiolmember being swingable from such position to an operative positionwhereinthe face thereof farthest from its said projecting portionspresses exteriorly against said strap when the latter is in its appliedposition in relation to the limb of a human subject, said compressormember having an anchor portion at the end thereof opposite to itsaforesaid two slots, said hook being engageable with said anchorpor-tion to hold said compressor member in its said operative position.

6. The subject matter of claim 5 anal, saicl compressor member whenswung from its imperative to its operative position moving through anangle of substantially degrees and kinking into a closed loop the partof said strap which passes through its said two slots, thereb adding toforce With which said strap grips the limb to which it is applied. v

ALBERT ESCHNER.

